Nursing home disaster plans are lacking many of the specific steps required by the government, such as coordination with local authorities, notification of relatives or even pinning name tags and medication lists to residents during an evacuation, according to an article from The Associated Press.
Nationally, more than 3 million people spent at least some time in a nursing home during 2009, according to the article, and nearly 40 percent of them, 1.2 million, were in the top 10 disaster-prone states (Texas, California, Oklahoma, New York, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri). The typical resident is a woman in her 80s or older, dealing with physical and mental limitations leaving her dependent on others for help with daily basic activities, according to AP.